As a professional bassist, I performed in the bass sections of the Grand Rapids Symphony, Detroit Symphony and Michigan Opera Theatre orchestras and as pricipal bass with the Saginaw Symphony and Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestras and the New York Chamber Ensemble before connective tissue problems ended my performing career. I currently work in arts administration as the Program Coordinator for the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo and in education as the Instructor of String Bass at Kalamazoo College.

Julie began dancing at the young age of 3. She began her formal ballet training at the age of 11 under Liz Legget, training in the prestigious pre-professional division at the Milwaukee Ballet. While at the Milwuakee Ballet, she went on to study under Taras Kalba, Jeanette Makaroff, and Nicole Sowinski and performed various roles in the Nutcracker, Giselle, and Swan Lake. She also enjoyed training under notable teachers throughout the Chicagoland area including the late Larry Long of the Ruth Page Center for Dance, Regina and Ricardo Moyano of Dance West Ballet, and Preston Miller to name a few. In 2000, Julie graduated from Hope College with a BA in Psychology and Dance. After graduation, she began teaching at Turning Pointe School of Dance in Holland, MI. Upon moving to Chicago in 2006, Julie founded the former Turning Pointe School of Dance, Chicago (now Ballet 5:8) where she served as Artistic Director, faculty member, resident choreographer, and school administrator for over 10 years. She set numerous full length original ballets including Creation to Revelation, Noah and the Ark, Created to Worship, and various works for For Such a Time as This, and the annual Christmas ballet The Promise.
Julie loves sharing her passion for dance through providing excellent classical ballet training to her students. She resides in Portage with her three children, Alexis-18, Olivia-16, and Ethan-14.

Recent transplant to Michigan, I’ve been a jeweler for many years. I was part of the Illinois Artisans Program sponsored by the Illinois Arts Council for over 15 years.
I create custom pieces and produce small production lines. I have a new studio space, inspiring and hope to offer some one on one classes.

Vicki VanAmeyden received a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI in 2002 with a concentration in printmaking and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from Kendall School of Design, Grand Rapids, MI in 1986. She teaches drawing, painting and printmaking courses for the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts and is Adjunct Faculty in the Arts and Communications Department at Kellogg Community College.

After working as a professional photographer, sculptor and glass artist for 15 years, I decided to integrate my love of fine art with my passion for preserving what fascinates me. In 2014, I opened a gallery in the Park Trades Center in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan, and began displaying my collection of personal images and works gathered throughout the years but kept only closely to my heart. You will see my attention turns to magnificent vibrant colors and textures. Nature and lost objects working together in harmony have become my focus. I merge what nature has created and the materials she gives me with my visions for those things that strike harmony within myself. It is my hope that the viewer of my work is also drawn into the beauty nature allows me to create when we closely examine what she is capable of. The imagery I reveal could not exist without the hand that our earth extends – the elements and creatures who have participated in the making of their intricate architecture hold credit. I hope to spark conversation and bring about ideas of human consciousness through my work.
In 2019, my work has shifted back to where I began with a strong focus on printmaking in a way that aligns with my graphic design background. I am currently exploring ways to merge printmaking with ceramics and hope to reveal my work in 2020.

Cheryl VanEngen is a fourth grade teacher in Mattawan, Michigan. Her first children’s book, As You Grow, is the story of two young hummingbirds who learn an important lesson about interdependence and humility from an unlikely source. Cheryl’s appreciation of nature and her commitment to helping young people become active stewards of natural spaces inspire her work. As You Grow was a collaborative endeavor with area illustrator and arts educator Kim Shaw; it was made possible with a KADI Grant from the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.
Cheryl lives in Kalamazoo with her husband (area musician Jay Gavan), their son Will, and their very sweet dog Mavis.

Bernie Walasavage (b. 1989, Pennsylvania) is a Kalamazoo-based composer & artist. With music degrees from Mansfield University of PA (B.M., 2012) and Western Michigan University (M.M., 2015), Bernie’s recent work explores the residual effects of late-Postmodernism and the manipulation of form & structure with precise detail. His music has been performed throughout the Kalamazoo community and internationally. Publications include “Grind” op. 2 (2013) for brass quintet (PARMA New Music Anthology 2014) and String Quartet no. 1, op. 5 (2015 – WMU Graduate College). Recent ventures include the 2016 highSCORE Contemporary Music Festival in Pavia, Italy where his String Quartet no. 2, op. 7 was premiered by Quartetto Indaco. This year, Bernie is releasing his first ever EP, “Early Works (2013-2018)” a mini-anthology of his completed work-to-date consisting of acoustic chamber ensemble works and electronic/fixed media works. Memberships include ASCAP, American Composers Forum, and the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo. A former music teacher, Bernie proudly works day jobs with two local, Michigan-based businesses: U.S. Security Assoc., INC/Advance Security (2014-present) and Centria Healthcare (2018). Apart from music, Bernie recently took up painting penguins and brutalist, mid-century architecture.

Julia Zhe Wang is a passionate artist living in the the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Her subjects are depictionof the tranquil and peaceful nature of her subjects. Her favorite subjects are portraits, figurative art and still life. The primary media are oil painting and tradional drawings.
Julia has studied under well-known and influential contemporary artists who take roots in classical realism, such as Andrew Conklin, Helen Oh, and Steven Assael. Julia paints primarily in the classical Dutch manner and traditional techniques. She tries to bring out a modern rendition through revival of the tradition. Her art focuses on the inner spiritual quality of human essence and the atmosphere of rendered objects. Julia attempts to enliven the emotions and thoughts and reveal the unique character of each person through a sense of narration.

Member of Kalamazoo Chinese Ladies Art Club Growing up in China, surrounded by the Three Gorges, I learned to appreciate the deep spirit that is hidden in the Chinese arts. My first “masterpiece” was to alter mother’s blanket into my dress when I was 12 years old. I received my BA degree from the University of International Business and Economics in 1993, with a major in international accounting, and was a teacher for 8 years. I received my master degree of Christian Study in Counseling in 2012. I learned to make 3D Paper Tole craving from 1999 and started to open a class in 2011 to teach people. One of my works “The Eagle” was chosen by the City of Kalamazoo as a gift to Numazu Japan, Kalamazoo’s sister city in 2000. I was invited to introduce Chinese Arts and Culture at Prairie Ridge Elementary School art class. As a pastor’s wife and mother of three sons, I dedicate most of my time to those people around me. Making Chinese paintings and paper arts becomes my “Sabbath.”

My name is Huaming Wang. I am a multi-talented artist, designer, and engineer. My artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally. I earned my Bachelor of Fine Art degree in China in 2005, and then worked for a few years as an assistant to Prof. Qingyuan Hu, Professor of calligraphy, stone seal carving, and Landscape Design, at Tsinghua University, the best University in China in this field. I used this experience in landscape design to work independently, including helping with surveys for a mining company. After moving to the USA, I earned my second degree in Construction Engineering from Western Michigan University in 2014, gaining experience while founding and also teaching at the Confucius Institute of Western Michigan University. In Fall 2018 I completed my Master of Fine Art degree followed by a Master of Architecture in Fall of 2019. Both of these degrees are from Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I also won an Asia Artist Award in ArtPrize 10. This year I won a Student Project Award from AIA for The Swan Lofts, a potential design for a multi-family site on Grand Rapids’ West Side. You can see some of my work at the following URL: http://www.wanghuaming.com